Reign Preview - Ontario vs. Coachella Valley
Published on February 1, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Ontario Reign News Release
WHO: Ontario Reign (28-13-1-1, 58pts) vs. Coachella Valley (22-14-5-0, 49pts)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #44/72
WHEN: Sunday, February 1 @ 3:00 Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena - Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey - AUDIO: Reign Radio - TWITTER: @ReignInsider & @OntarioReign
TODAY'S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign open the month of February looking to stretch their home winning streak to seven games as they host the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the second time this season. The Reign are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and two points back of Colorado for the division lead while the Firebirds have lost three straight games, 0-2-1, with all three games being decided by one-goal after winning six straight.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES: The Reign hold a 2-0-0 record vs. the Firebirds this season with a pair of 3-2 victories, the most recent an overtime win in Palm Desert nine days ago when Nikita Alexandrov scored 34 seconds into the extra frame. Cole Guttman paces the way offensively with two goals and two assists while Pheonix Copley and Erik Portillo each have a win in net. Ontario is 1-for-4 on the power-play in the series and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Ontario saw their win streak end at three games last night suffering a 4-3 loss in San Diego. Andre Lee netted his team leading 18th of the year giving the Reign a 1-0 lead for the fourth straight game. The Gulls got on the board before 86 seconds into the second period before Jared Wright scored his 11th of the season 4:21 later. San Diego tied the contest 4:19 into the third but 75 seconds later Jakub Dvořák recorded his third goal of the season making it a 3-2 Reign lead. The Gulls tied the game at 10:38 and then scored the game winner with 18 seconds left as they never led in the game until their final score. Kirill Kirsanov tallied a pair of assists while Pheonix Copley made 35 saves in his 300th AHL game.
The Reign had won six straight games prior to last night's one goal loss as they hold a 15-4-1-1 mark in one-score games. It was just the third loss of the season when the Reign have taken a 1-0 lead, 17-3-0. Ontario is now 11-3-1 when leading after the first period and 18-1-1 when leading going into the third period.
Ontario was outshot 39-19, including 19-2 in the final 20 minutes of play as the two shots tied for a season low this year and the 39 surrendered are the most given up.
BYE BYE JANUARY: It was an impressive run for the Reign in January going 10-3-0 outscoring their opponents 47-31 while going 12-for-41 (29.3%) on the power-play and 39-for-43 (90.7%) on the penalty kill. Martin Chromiak (4G, 9A) and Nikita Alexandrov (3G, 10A) led the club with 13 points. Chromiak had a point in nine of 12 games including a season long six-game point streak (1G, 8A) from Jan. 13-29 while Alexandrov notched a point in eight of 13 games with four multi-point efforts. Cole Guttman registered 12 points (8G, 4A) in 11 games scoring in four straight from Jan.17-24 while recording a five-game point streak (6G, 2A) from Jan.17-29. In the crease, Erik Portillo returned from injury on Jan. 4 posting a 19 save shutout in a 3-0 win vs. Iowa after not playing since Nov. 12 due to injury. He won all six of his starts holding a 2.31 goals against average and .915 save percentage.
LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY: Ontario will play just nine games during the month of February with four on home ice and five on the road facing Coachella Valley once, Bakersfield twice, Tucson three times, and Abbotsford three times. Last season the Reign went 6-2-1 in February as they headed into the month at 25-14-1-1.
HOME COOKIN: The Reign have won a season high six straight games at Toyota Arena having posted a 15-4-1-1 mark on home ice. During the win streak Ontario has outscored their opponents 24-12 having taken a 1-0 lead in five of six contests. They have a power-play goal in seven straight home games, 8-for-24 (33.3%), while they've surrendered a power-play goal against in just one of their last seven, 21-for-22 (95.5%).
Collectively on the season, the Reign are 8-1-1 when leading after the first and 11-0-1 when leading after the second. They're 7-2-0-1 when outshooting their opponent and 8-2-1 when being outshot. Ontario is 9-1-1 when scoring a power-play goal at Toyota Arena.
SPECIAL TEAMS BECOMING SPECIAL: The Reign went 0-for-2 on the power-play last night but have a power-play score in five of their last seven, 7-for-22 (31.8%). They have a man advantage strike in 11 of their last 14 games, 13-for-45 (28.9%).
Ontario was 4-for-4 on the penalty kill last night as they're now 11-for-11 in their last four. They've now surrendered a power-play goal against in just three of their last 16 games, 47-for-51, 92.2%.
BETWEEN TWO PIPES: For Ontario, Erik Portillo and Pheonix Copley have alternated starts over the last 13 games since Portillo returned from injury on Jan. 4. Copley suffered the loss last night making 35 saves as he is 2-2-0 in his last four starts after winning five of his previous six. Portillo made 23 saves on 25 shots Wednesday for his sixth straight win since his return from injury which sidelined him from Nov. 13-Jan. 2, 16 consecutive games. He has won 10 straight decisions.
For Coachella Valley, Victor Östman has started four straight games after making 35 saves in a 4-3 loss vs. San Diego Friday. He has lost back-to-back games after going 4-0-1 in his previous five. Jack LaFontaine recorded a 27 save shutout in his last start on Jan. 18 in a 3-0 win vs. Abbotsford. Nikke Kokko hasn't appeared since Jan. 7.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: For Ontario, Jared Wright has back-to-back games with a goal, an assist, and a plus-two rating. He has eight points (5G, 3A) in his last 11 games. Andre Lee has 11 points (10G, 1A) in his last 12 games, a three-game goal streak, and three goals in four games since returning from the Kings.
For Coachella Valley, Jani Nyman has 10 points (8G, 2A) in 13 games since being assigned by Seattle after playing 24 games with the Kraken tallying six points (4G, 2A). Tyson Jugnauth leads all rookie defenders with 31 points and 25 assists while his six goals are tied for first. Logan Morrison is fourth in the AHL with 21 goals and has 11 points (5G, 6A) in his last 10 games.
American Hockey League Stories from February 1, 2026
- Providence Wins 3-0 to Sweep Weekend Series - Charlotte Checkers
- Merkulov's Franchise Record Breaking Point Helps P-Bruins Shut out Checkers - Providence Bruins
- Sheldon Dries Signs Two-Year Contract Extension - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Reign Preview - Ontario vs. Coachella Valley - Ontario Reign
- Preview: Phantoms vs. Penguins, Game 43 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Transactions: Kolosov Loaned to Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Gerasimyuk Assigned to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Reign Downed, 4-3, by Gulls - Ontario Reign
- The Canucks Fell, 3-2, to the Condors in Hard-Fought Battle - Abbotsford Canucks
- Two-Goal Lead Slips Away in 3-2 OT Loss to Eagles - Tucson Roadrunners
- Ungar Sets Record with 51 Saves in Condors' Sweep - Bakersfield Condors
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
